About

WE THINK WE RECEIVE EVERYTHING AS IT IS, WHEN IN FACT WE ARE ACTIVELY PART OF CREATING THE REALITY IN WHICH WE LIVE. BUT WE ARE VERY MUCH UNAWARE OF DOING SO.

— James Turrell

BIO

Kaye McGarva grew up in Hawkes Bay, leaving to study art and history at Canterbury University. After graduating with a BA in history, McGarva travelled overseas during which time she forged a career in the hospitality industry. Soon after returning to New Zealand, McGarva established a successful bakery business in Parnell, Auckland.

Moving back to Hawkes Bay, she enrolled in a four year degree course in Visual Art & Design, at the Eastern Institute of Technology. After graduating as joint Top Research Student, McGarva began her new career as an artist. Now, several years on, she is combining her love of art with her passion for business with the establishment of Muse, a contemporary art gallery in Havelock North.

Artist STATEMENT

I describe my work as playing with shadows... a process I developed allows me to create paintings that give the illusion of spatial depth. My work hovers between abstract and representational, creating a sense of the uncanny.

My interest is in the physical sensations experienced when our subconscious registers something familiar but strange. This feeling of unease is a demonstration of the interconnectedness of the mind and body, something we are barely aware of.